Ross Miller (Maple Grove, MN) has been named the 2017 North Star Tour Player of the Year! Miller sealed the season long points race victory with a sudden death playoff victory at the Tour Championship at The Jewel Golf Club in Lake City. Not only did Miller win the Tour Championship, but he did so on a difficult side of the tournament bracket. Miller defeated North Star Open Champion and MN PGA Money list leader, Brent Snyder, and a red hot Dakota Clark (who recently finished just 1 shot out of a playoff at the Fargo Brewing Cabin Classic). Miller's final match of the championship was against Charlie Boyechko of Winnepeg, Manitoba. Both players did not allow the other to be more than "1 up" on the other for 19 holes. Miller was crowned as the match play winner in the end. Impressively, Boyechko finished runner up in his only two starts this season.
DELLWOOD, Minn. -- Brent Snyder won the 3rd annual North Star Open with matching 68's for 8 under par total and a three-stroke victory. The victory, over a field which included 20+ tour professionals with world ranking points, came on the challenging Dellwood layout where fast greens made some pin positions dicey. Besides the heat, a common theme heard from most of the top professionals and amateurs was that the recently upgraded Dellwood layout was in exceptional condition and "the course won". Even more impressive was that Snyder's 68 was the only round recorded in the 60's for the final round. Only five other under par rounds were posted on the difficult Dellwood setup that day.  2017 North Star Open Champion, Brent Snyder (right) and North Star Tour Co-Founder, John Scanlon (left) The 37-year-old teaching professional at Troy Burne birdied the second and third holes at Dellwood Country Club, then gave one back with a bogey at the fourth, but he added another birdie at the par-5 fifth. With a front-nine 34 (2 under), he remained one stroke behind first-round leader Jon Reigstad. Then Reigstad started to go in the wrong direction, with consecutive double bogeys. Snyder made up for a bogey at the 10th with a birdie at the 12th, and he added two more birdies, at the 15th and the par-5 17th, to ellminate any suspense about the outcome.
The victory was worth $15,000 to the 2013 Minnesota PGA Player of the Year, from a total purse of $38,000. Donald Constable, a former State Amateur champ (2011) who spent one year on the PGA Tour, also made six birdies on Wednesday, but he found them harder to come by on Thursday. He had to settle for three and a 71, but the resulting aggregate of 139 was good enough for second place. Reigstad was 2 under for the day and 7 under for the tournament when he arrived at the par-3 12th hole. He made a double bogey at the 12th and followed it with another double at the par-5 13th -- and two more bogeys. He could have packed it in after that, but he battled back with birdies at the 16th and 17th to salvage at 74, and that earned him a share of third place at 141. He tied with Max Mason, who recently completed his eligibility at Wichita State, and Alistair Docherty, a second-year pro from Vancouver, Wash. Mason committed the Cardinal Sin of tournament golf when he bogeyed the par-5 17th on Wednesday, but he made up for that by birdying all four par-5's on Thursday in a 70. Van Holmgren, the recently crowned Minnesota state Class AAA high school champ, played his last six holes in 2 under and shot 70, which put him at 142 and gave him a share of sixth place. The 6th place finish was good enough to earn Van the low amateur honors this year. Also finishing in 6th were Ross Miller and five-time Minnesota PGA Player of the Year Jeff Sorenson. Kelly Kretz, the 2016 North Star Cabin Classic winner , placed ninth with a one under total, as did former Minnesota state amateur and mn open champion Jon Dutoit. Rounding out the top 10 was mini-tour pro Brad Marek of San Francisco California. North Star Open At Dellwood Country Club July 6-7th, 2017 Par 72 7200 yards Dellwood, MN. Final results 1. Brent Snyder, Troy Burne GC 68-68--136 = $15,000 2. Donald Constable, Excelsior, MN 68-71--139 = $5,000 T3. Jon Reigstad, Keller GC 67-74--141 = $2,000 T3. Max Mason, Orono, MN 71-70--141 = $2,000 T3. Alistair Docherty, Vancouver, WA 69-72--141 = $2,000 T6. Van Holmgren (a), Wayzata, MN 72-70---142 = $750 Shop Credit T6. Ross Miller, Maple Grove, MN 70-72--142 = $850 T6. Jeff Sorenson, Minikahda GC 69-73--142 = $850 T9. Kelly Kretz, Eau Claire, WI 72-71--143 = $708 T9. Jon DuToit, Chaska, MN 70-73--143 = $708 T9. Brad Marek, Arlington Hts., IL 69-74--143 = $708 Our next event will be played at The Refuge Golf Club on August 3rd (18 Hole Event)  The Season is upon us!
With less than a week until we tee off at The Wilds Golf Club in Prior Lake, I'd first like to tell everyone how excited we are to get the year started. As always we can't thank everyone who participates in our tour enough. We hope that we leave a positive effect on tour players' golf games as they hopefully move onto bigger tournaments (especially ones operated by the PGA Tour, Web.com, PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour Latino America, etc.). Upcoming: (Registration Link) Our very first team event is The North Star 2-Man Opener. The best ball ("fourball") event will be played from the back tees of The Wilds Golf Club, which plays longer that 7,000 yards and provides many challenges from tee to green. The Tom Weiskopf design is a larger style course that demands accuracy while approaching the greens to avoid hazards. Soon after the opener we return to Mississippi National Golf Link's Lowland Course for the 2nd Annual NS Memorial Classic. The 54 hole event that yields tons of scoring opportunities. MNGL has a hilly and tree lined setup that provides challenges and rewards depending on your shot placement off the tee. Notably, last years champion (Dan Woltman) began a dominant run at the Memorial Classic. He continued his good play throughout the year on various Web.com events and eventually secured his 2017 Web.com Card through Q-School. "These guys are good" Congrats to some North Star Tour Players that have finished well recently:
We are excited to get the season rolling. See you all soon! -The North Star Tour Founders REGISTRATION OPEN! 1/31/17 Tonight at 5:00pm (Central Time) the online tournament registration will be open for all our regular season events. For 2017, We have a plethora of great tournament venues spread around the state of Minnesota. Last year the tour's total prize money totaled over $70,000. With more tournaments on the calendar, a growing average field size, and a guaranteed first place prize of $15,000 at the North Star Open (July 5-6) the tour plans to far exceed last years numbers. Please note that all non-pga professionals must register for the North Star Open by mail-in entry forms only. But pro's can reserve a spot in the field online and designate over email when the full payment can be made.  The Wilds Golf Club (Prior Lake, MN) WHERE WE START IN 2017 The 2017 North Star Tour kicks off at The Wilds Golf Club in Prior Lake, MN (picture above). Our first event of the season will also be our first ever team event. Players will pair up in two person teams to play a high stakes "Four-Ball" format in the 18 hole event. The event format choice was inspired by the 2016 Ryder Cup that took place only 12 miles away. We project the The NS 2-Man Opener to have a purse of $10,000 and the winning team to take away $3,000+. The event will be open to both professionals and amateurs and is scheduled only days before our Memorial Classic at Mississippi National Golf Links (54 hole event). The Wilds is a Tom Weiskopf design just South of Minneapolis. The course has picturesque tee shots and complex greens. Although The Wilds looks fair and clean, it is not easily dominated. The course can be stretched over 7,000 yards and has recently hosted USGA qualifiers. TOUR/WEBSITE UPDATES
2016 is long gone and the numbers have all reset. Who will chase down trophies, player of the year points, and big winnings in 2017? You'll just have to wait and see. But we guarantee it will be exciting until the finish with two more events added to the schedule including a best ball format for our opening event! The 2017 North Star Tour Schedule (more info) will hold 7 events at courses set-up to challenge each player's abilities and develop them for bigger events on major tours. The upcoming schedule is as follows:
Registration will open on February 1st. Keep an eye out for package entry fees to save money on multiple events.   The results are in! Hudson Carpenter (Stillwater, MN) is awarded the 2016 North Star Tour Player of the Year. With a consistently dominant season on the North Star Professional Golf Tour, Carpenter made the cut line in every event he played and was twice a winner on the 5 tournament season. Capped off by a quarterfinal finish at the North Star Tour Championship (Recently won by Zach Steffen), Hudson was able to hold off a late charge by any nearby players on the points list. Carpenter needed a first round win and a defeat of regular season runner-up Kelly Kretz, which fellow Stillwater grad Kyle Scanlon provided in the second round. Hudson highlighted his season with the first of multiple wins at The North Star Open at Dellwood Country Club. Where he posted low round of the day (66,66) 2 consecutive rounds in a row in route to a dominant victory. Carpenter also captured a playoff win at the Q-School Prep at Stillwater Country Club late in the season in which he posted a 67 to tie Ross Miller and prevail in a sudden death playoff. Hudson Carpenter's North Star Tour season in order:
Position Player Events Played Total Points 1 Hudson Carpenter 4 1162.5 2 Zach Steffen 2 772.625 3 Kelly Kretz 5 710.5 4 Kyle Scanlon 5 547.5 5 Dan Woltman 1 500 6 Ross Miller 5 456.125 7 Donald Constable 2 450 8 Alexander Kline 3 445 9 Andrew Benson 5 349.33 10 Yarri Bryn 4 338.5 The North Star Tour looks forward to an expanded schedule in 2017 including the current events + one new one (stay tuned) North Star Memorial Classic on Memorial Day weekend at Mississippi National North Star Open in early July at Dellwood North Star Cabin Classic in late August at Thumper Pond North Star Q-School Prep in early September at Stillwater CC North Star Tour Championship in late September at the Jewel NEXT UP: The North Star Tour heads North to Thumper Pond Golf Course, one of Minnesota's premier resort locations. It is a beautiful venue which places a premium on precision and accuracy. Tree lined fairways and fast greens will provide a great test for the Pro's and Am's at the Cabin Classic. Special thanks to the PGA staff at Thumper Pond of Andrew Martinson and Jake Wherley who are going to be our hosts this week.
Recent Success of North Star Tour players: What a great start to the North Star Tour. Two events down, three to go. Dan Woltman got things started with a stunning win at the Memorial Classic. He followed up his North Star win in late May with 4th and T23rd place finishes at the following two weeks of Web.com Tour events. Congrats to Dan. Then Hudson Carpenter in his second professional event, played flawless golf with a dominating win at Dellwood Country Club with a 66-66=132 win at the North Star Open. Hudson will be attending Q-School this Fall. Part of our mission is to develop young MN amateurs and professionals as a springboard to the next level. Let's congratulate a few recent performances by some North Star "veterans" Neil Johnson - Only a couple weeks after his 3rd place finish and the North Star Memorial and 4th place finish at the North Star Open, Neil Johnson conquered a stacked field to win the 2016 Colorado Open. The Colorado Open featured a $100,000 1st place prize which puts Neil in a pretty exclusive club of professional golfers. Thomas Campbell - Our very first champion of the 2015 North Star Open is having an excellent year on multiple mini-tours as he prepares for a run Web.com Q-School where he nearly made the final stage last year. Alec Uloth– Within days of a successful North Star Open, Alec fired a course record 63 in the first round of the Minnesota State Amateur Championship. The stellar round set up a wire to wire victory capped off by an eagle putt for the win on the 18th hole of the final round. Sam Matthew - The North Star Tour regular fired a pair of 68's to finish as the low professional and runner up in the MN State Open. Sam also won the team event at the Tapemark Charity Pro-Am and nearly qualified for the US Open earlier this summer. North Star vets Yarri Bryn, Kyle Scanlon, and Thomas Campbell lead the CVGA's point list and all plan to play in the upcoming North Star Cabin Classic. Donald Constable - Coming off a full season on the Makenzie Tour (PGA Tour Canada), Constable made his North Star Tour debut at the Memorial Classic, placing 2nd. He followed that up with another great performance at the North Star Open and a 3rd place finish. Julian Ramirez - Since playing in the first two North Star Tour events, Julian has won 4 times in the MN Section and currently sits in 1st place on the MN Assistants' Chapter Player of the Year list. Top college amateurs Jack Holmgren (U. of South Dakota), Jacque Wilson (Carolina Coastal), Max Rosenthal (The Ohio State), and Sam Foust (Oregon) look to build on their summer success as they head into D1 competition. After a stunning win at the North Star Memorial Classic by 2014-15 European Tour player, Dan Woltman. The North Star Tour heads back to its roots for the 2nd annual North Star Open at beautiful Dellwood CC. As you may have heard, Dellwood was purchased by one its most respected members Tim Lawin, who led a $9.5M upgrade to the course, clubhouse, and pool facilities.
Our sophomore year as a tour will feature five tournaments that will hopefully create a springboard for players into bigger success. As an example, Dan Woltman followed up his North Star win in late May with 4th and T23rd place finishes at the following two weeks of Web.com Tour events. His good finishes in these events also earned him a spot in this weeks Air Capital Classic (Web.com Tour). Congrats to Dan. After a successful 2015 debut of the North Star Open, we will continue to expand as a tour and create great opportunities for players to compete around the state of MN. The field is loaded with the Top 3 finishers and the top Amateur returning to the North Star Open. As a true Open, the field includes approximately 40 professionals and 35 amateurs, including a member of the NCAA Team Champion Oregon Ducks. (the tournament co-director would like it to be noted that the Ducks were coached by a Stanford grad, Casey Martin) Local players to follow: Thomas Campbell (Minnetonka, MN) - Our very first champion of the 2015 North Star Open will be looking to keep his perfect streak going on the North Star Tour. Thomas is coming off a good season of mini tour events and came within just a few strokes from reaching the final stage of Web.com Q-School last November. Brent Snyder (Hudson, WI) – Known for both his playing ability and teaching skills with many of the best young players in MN and Wisc, Brent brings a formidable resume to the North Star Open. Brent won the 2010 Match Play at this site (Dellwood CC). Among his recent accomplishments is qualifying for and playing in the 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. Hudson Carpenter (Stillwater, MN) - Returning to the North Star Tour as a professional. Our 2015 North Star Open low amateur had a successful amateur career which included three US Amateur appearances, three collegiate wins as a South Dakota State Jack Rabbit, Co-Champion of the 2015 MGA Four-Ball, and most recently Runner Up finish in last years Lyle Cran Stillwater Shortstop Tournament. Donald Constable (Excelsior, MN) - Coming off a full season on the Makenzie Tour (PGA Tour Canada), Constable made his North Star Tour debut at the Memorial Classic, placing 2nd and taking home $3,000. Constable played in the 2014 US Open at Pinehurst #2. Don also had great success as an amateur in Minnesota both as a UMN Golden Gopher and as an MGA multiple tournament champion. Sam Matthew (Roseville, MN) - Recently graduating from University of South Dakota (Business Finance Major) and turning professional Sam Matthew will be competing on the North Star Tour as well as traveling the country for tournaments. He recently finished within a whisker of qualifying for the 2016 US Open. Sam earned All Summit League Team honors his senior year. Sam also won the 2013 MGA MN Amateur Championship and the 2015 MGA Players Championship. In addition to the highlighted local players The 2016 North Star Open will feature 70+ players from both Minnesota and the neighboring Midwest states. The experienced field will test their skills and patience on the 7100 yard layout. Daily score updates can be found HERE With less than 3 weeks until the action starts. a strong field is emerging for an early summer showdown at Mississippi National Golf Link's Lowlands Course. The Lowlands Course is an interesting par 71 layout with five par 5's and six par 3's. Every hole on the lowlands course shows character as the course curves through the rolling hills of Redwing, MN ("Yes, where the boots are made" - Kyle).
Our sophomore year as a tour will feature five tournaments that will hopefully create a springboard for players into bigger success. After a successful 2015 debut of the North Star Open, we will continue to expand as a tour and create great opportunities for players to compete around the state of MN. Local players to follow: Thomas Campbell (Minnetonka, MN) - Our very first champion of the 2015 North Star Open will be looking to keep his perfect streak going on the North Star Tour. Thomas is coming off a good season of mini tour events and came within just a few strokes from reaching the final stage of Web.com Q-School last November. Hudson Carpenter (Stillwater, MN) - Returning to the North Star Tour as a professional. Our 2015 North Star Open low amateur had a successful amateur career which included three US Amateur appearances, three collegiate wins as a South Dakota State Jack Rabbit, Co-Champion of the 2015 MGA Four-Ball, and most recently Runner Up finish in last years Lyle Cran Stillwater Shortstop Tournament. Jeff Sorenson (Blaine, MN) - The 4 time Minnesota Player of the Year has more than one hundred professional wins and has played in two PGA Championships. Sorenson is a well known competitor in Minnesota and will look to add more to his trophy case with a win at Mississippi National. Donald Constable (Excelsior, MN) - Coming off a full season on the Makenzie Tour (PGA Tour Canada), Constable will make his North Star Tour debut at the Memorial Classic. Constable played in the 2014 US Open at Pinehurst and had great success as an amateur in Minnesota both as a UMN Golden Gopher and as an MGA multiple tournament champion. Sam Matthew (Roseville, MN) - Recently graduating from University of South Dakota (Business Finance Major) and turning professional Sam Matthew will be competing on the North Star Tour as well as traveling the country for tournaments. Sam earned All Summit League Team honors his senior year. Sam also won the 2013 MGA MN Amateur Championship and the 2015 MGA Players Championship. In addition to the highlighted local players The 2016 North Star Memorial Classic will feature dozens of players from both Minnesota and the neighboring Midwest states. The experienced field should bring a lot of birdies and plenty of low scores to the Lowland Course at Mississippi National. Daily score updates can be found HERE
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